Human Evolution

Question 1

Answer 1

Purgatorius
Genus & Species: Purgatorius
Time Period: ~65 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- One of the earliest primate-like mammals.
- Small, squirrel-sized, with grasping hands for climbing.
- Lived in trees and likely ate fruits and insects.
- Survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs.

Question 2

Answer 2

Teilhardina (teelerdeena)
Genus & Species: Teilhardina
Time Period: ~56 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- One of the earliest true primates.
- Small, lemur-like with large eyes for nocturnal vision.
- Agile tree-dweller, likely leaping between branches.
- Lived during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, when Earth was much warmer.

Question 3

Answer 3

Proconsul (pro-con-sul)
Genus & Species: Proconsul
Time Period: ~23-18 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- One of the earliest true apes.
- No tail, unlike monkeys, but had a mix of monkey-like and ape-like traits.
- Lived in tropical forests, likely moving through trees and on the ground.
- Thought to be an ancestor of modern great apes and humans.

Question 4

Answer 4

Last Common Ancestor of Humans & Chimpanzees
Genus & Species: Similar to Sahelanthropus (sail-anthro-pis) or Ardipithecus (ard-eh-pith-a-kiss)
Time Period: ~7-6 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- Likely a small, tree-dwelling primate that could walk upright occasionally.
- Had a mix of ape-like and early hominin traits, such as a small brain and grasping hands.
- Lived in a forest-savanna environment, adapting to both trees and ground movement.
- Gave rise to both chimpanzees and early human ancestors.

Question 5

Answer 5

Sahelanthropus tchadensis (cha-dense-iss)
Genus & Species: Sahelanthropus tchadensis
Time Period: ~7-6 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- One of the oldest known hominins.
- Had a small brain (~350 cc, similar to a chimpanzee).
- Likely had some ability to walk upright (bipedalism).
- Lived in a mix of forests and savannas in what is now Chad.

Question 6

Answer 6

Australopithecus afarensis (a-fairen-sis)
Genus & Species: Australopithecus afarensis
Time Period: ~3.9-2.9 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- Famous for the fossil ‘Lucy,’ discovered in Ethiopia.
- Walked upright but still had adaptations for tree climbing.
- Had a brain size of ~400-500 cc (about 1/3 of a modern human’s).
- Likely used simple tools, though no direct evidence exists.

Question 7

Answer 7

Homo habilis
Genus & Species: Homo habilis
Time Period: ~2.4-1.4 million years ago
Interesting Facts:
- Name means ‘Handy Man’ because of its association with early stone tools.
- Brain size was around 510-600 cc, larger than Australopithecus.
- Likely scavenged meat and possibly used tools for cutting.
- Walked fully upright but retained some climbing adaptations.

Question 8

Answer 8

Homo erectus
Genus & Species: Homo erectus
Time Period: ~1.89 million-110,000 years ago
Interesting Facts:
- First hominin known to use fire and cook food.
- Had a larger brain (~600-1,100 cc) and more human-like body proportions.
- Migrated out of Africa into Asia and Europe, showing adaptability.
- Used stone tools and possibly wooden spears for hunting.

Question 9

Answer 9

Homo neanderthalensis (neander-thal-ensis)
Genus & Species: Homo neanderthalensis
Time Period: ~400,000-40,000 years ago
Interesting Facts:
- Had a larger brain (~1,500 cc) than modern humans.
- Adapted to cold climates with a stocky, muscular build.
- Used advanced tools, fire, and buried their dead.
- Interbred with Homo sapiens, and many modern humans carry Neanderthal DNA.

Question 10

Answer 10

Homo sapiens
Genus & Species: Homo sapiens
Time Period: ~300,000 years ago–present
Interesting Facts:
- The only surviving human species.
- Developed complex language, art, and culture.
- Migrated across the globe and adapted to various environments.
- Invented agriculture (~10,000 years ago), leading to civilizations.